/ ‘KAH-shee-Ah /

Hagar calls him the “God of Seeing,” reflecting the profound friendship that Jesus embodies. This is the kind of friendship that Jesus has, one that would make him selflessly leave his throne to comfort someone like Hagar, a slave, a gentile, a nobody.

We all have a family origin story, trials and tribulations of some sort, and people who have shaped who we are for the needs that God knew our children would require. God gave us the strength (and courage) we required before we knew we needed it.

Disciplemakers are God's agents for his redeeming plan for creation. This means that we have more to hope for as we sit across the table from our disciples, children, peers or in a room of our fellow ministry members.

I am not saying it’s sinful to buy a dress or take a vacation here and there. But what I am saying is that my conviction leads me to understand that when I withhold tithe to God because of my fleshly desire to self-indulge in my wants, I cheat him out of what he deserves. I like to think that I am Able, but it turns out I play the role of being Cain.

In observing my own thoughts, I was made aware that God may refine us in suffering, but he also uses our blessings as a point of sanctification as well. My suffering gave me humility so that in my blessings I would be tested to see if I'd still humble myself before the Lord. I have found that these blissful years have refined me just as much as those past years of suffering.

Thirty met me with more grace than I could imagine. I am quite frankly living a life full of abundance and seeing more clearly now how God consistently provides for me in my life. As I was reflecting on the general “lesson” that God’s taught me over the last 3 decades of life, I found that time and time again I was met with this Truth: God provides sufficiently. This is the one primary Truths that I hold on to when hope is dim, struggles are loud and fear is present.